The present invention relates to an aiming apparatus and, more particularly, to an apparatus that allows a user to aim an aimable device at a target while looking directly at the target and without holding the aimable device close to the user's face.
There are a variety of devices which, in use, are aimed at targets. These include, for example, guns, cameras and range finders. These devices are referred to herein as "aimable" devices, because a user of such a device typically aims the device by holding the device close to his or her face and looking at the target via an aiming apparatus mounted directly on the device. For example, a gun is aimed at a target by looking through a gunsight, and a camera is aimed at a target by looking through a viewfinder.
In some applications of these aimable devices, the user is unable to aim the device carefully at the target. For example, in a hostage rescue situation, a law enforcement officer may not have time to aim carefully at a kidnapper, but may need to "shoot from the hip" instead; or a news photographer in a crowd may need to hold his or her camera above the heads of the crowd to get a clear shot at a celebrity. In such circumstances, the aimable device cannot be held close to the user's face for aiming.
There is thus a widely recognized need for, and it would be highly advantageous to have, an aiming apparatus that allows an aimable device to be aimed at a target while being held away from the user's face, and while the user is looking directly at the target.